PVV leads Netherlands elections, exit poll says

THE HAGUE — The Party for Freedom, or PVV, headed by Geert Wilders, is leading the 2023 Dutch parliamentary elections, according to an exit poll cited by public broadcaster NOS on Wednesday, signaling wide repercussions in the Netherlands and Europe.

Wilders is set to start looking for coalition partners on Thursday after the expected win — his election program includes calls for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union, a total halt to accepting asylum-seekers and migrant pushbacks at Dutch borders.

The PVV is on a predicted 35 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives, the lower house of Parliament. The Green Left-Labor alliance led by Frans Timmermans is second on a predicted 26 seats.

The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, or VVD, which won the previous four elections with outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, is forecast to end up with 23 seats with its new leader Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius. The New Social Contract led by Pieter Omtzigt ranked fourth with 20 seats.

"The biggest party!" Wilders said in a victory speech. "The voter has spoken. The Dutch people want their country back. The Dutch people will be number one again."

If confirmed, the PVV, founded in 2006, is set to become the biggest party in the Netherlands.

The result came unexpected as polls had predicted a close match between the PVV, the VVD and the Green Left-Labor alliance.

The expected win prompted immediate congratulations but will likely raise fears in Brussels — Wilders is anti-EU and wants a vote on a "Nexit "to leave the bloc, AFP reported.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban hailed "winds of change" after the exit poll, while France's right-wing politician Marine Le Pen cheered his "spectacular performance".

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the expected election victory for Wilders was a consequence of "all the fears that are emerging in Europe" over immigration and the economy. Le Maire also told Franceinfo radio on Thursday that the Netherlands is not France.

Lizette Keyzer, a 60-year-old business manager from Enschede in the east of the Netherlands, said she had "heart palpitations" when the exit poll results came out. The country "is going in a right-wing direction. We hope that this does not completely become the case", she said.

Voter Norbert van Beelen said in The Hague on Thursday morning: "I think, to be honest, very many people are very focused on one particular problem, which is immigration."

Addressing cheering supporters in The Hague after exit polls, Wilders doubled down on his anti-immigrant rhetoric, saying the Dutch had voted to stem the "tsunami" of asylum-seekers. "The PVV can no longer be ignored," he cried, urging other parties to do a deal with him.

He later told reporters he wanted to be "prime minister for all Dutch "and would "work hard with other parties" to form a coalition.

Coalition discussion

Wilders, 60, now has the daunting task of trying to form a working coalition, courting rivals that categorically ruled out serving in a PVV-led government before the vote.

Parties were set for meetings on Thursday to discuss what to do next. On Friday, party leaders will meet to decide on an "explorer", a political outsider who will hear from each party what possibilities they see and prefer in coalition talks, Reuters reported.

In the previous elections held in 2021, Rutte's VVD won with 34 seats, before the Democrats 66 with 24 seats and the PVV with 17 seats.

D66, led by Rob Jetten, is now predicted to get 10 seats, according to the latest exit poll.

The official results of the 2023 Dutch parliamentary elections are expected to be announced on Dec 1.

Agencies - Xinhua